DESCRIPTION

Artificers, wizards, and other inventors create Shield Guardians for protection. A Shield Guardian treads beside its master, absorbing damage to keep its master alive as long as possible.

GUARDIAN AMULET

Every Shield Guardian has an amulet magically linked to it. A Shield Guardian can have only one corresponding amulet, and if that amulet is destroyed, the shield guardian is incapacitated until a replacement amulet is created. A Shield Guardian's amulet is subject to direct attack if it isn't being worn or carried. It has AC 10, 10 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Crafting an amulet requires 1 week and costs 1,000 gp in components.

A Shield Guardian's solitary focus is to protect the amulet's wearer. The amulet's wearer can command the Shield Guardian to attack its enemies or to guard the wielder against attack. If an attack threatens to injure the wearer, the construct can magically absorb the blow into its own body, even at a distance.

A spellcaster can store a single spell within a shield Guardian, which can then cast the spell on command or under specific conditions. Many a wizard has been rendered helpless by enemies, only to surprise those foes when its Shield Guardian unleashes potent magical power.

MAGNIFICENT TREASURE

Because a Shield Guardian's ownership can be transferred by giving its matching amulet to another creature, some wizards collect exorbitant sums from princes, nobles, and crime lords to create Shield Guardians for them. At the same time, a Shield Guardian makes a mighty prize for anyone who slays its master and claims its amulet.

FEATURES

The Shield Guardian has the following features.

CREATOR

Whenever a statistic mentions a creator, use the statistics of the creator of the Shield Guardian (such as an artificer or a wizard), otherwise use the statistics of the creature attuned to the Guardian Amulet.

GUARDIAN AMULET

The Shield Guardian is magically bound to its Guardian Amulet. A creature that is attuned to and has the Guardian Amulet equipped is considered its Guardian's Master. If the amulet is destroyed or the wearer's ends its attunement, the Shield Guardian becomes incapacitated until a replacement amulet is created or a creature attunes to its amulet.

GUARDIAN'S MASTER

The Shield Guardian has the following characteristics while a creature is attuned to its Guardian Amulet:

• The Shield Guardian obeys the Guardian's Master commands to the best of its ability.

• The Shield Guardian is friendly to the Guardian's Master and its party.

• The Shield Guardian shares the Guardian's Master initiative.

• The Guardian's Master can use an action to mount the Shield Guardian, provided the Guardian's Master is at least one size smaller than the Shield Guardian.

• While the Guardian's Master is incapacitated, the Shield Guardian protects the Guardian's Master body to the best of its ability.

AMULET COMPASS

The Shield Guardian always knows the distance and direction to the Guardian Amulet, provided the Shield Guardian and its Guardian Amulet are in the same plane of existence.

CONSTRUCT NATURE

The Shield Guardian doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.

DAMAGE ABSORPTION

While the Shield Guardian and the Guardian's Master are within 60 feet of each other and the Guardian's Master takes damage, the Shield Guardian can take a reaction to halve the damage and take the same amount of damage the Guardian's Master took.

EXTRA ATTACK

The Shield Guardian can attack twice, instead of once, whenever it takes the Attack action on its turn.

FISTS

The Shield Guardian can use its fists to make an unarmed attack, dealing 1d8 + creator's proficiency bonus of force damage.

REGENERATION

The Shield Guardian regains 4 Hit Points at the start of its turn, provided it is wounded.

SHIELD

The Shield Guardian can take a reaction when to grant the creature equipped with the Guardian Amulet a +2 bonus to its AC, provided the Shield Guardian is within 5 feet of the creature.

SPELL STORING

A spellcaster who wears the Shield Guardian's amulet can cause the Shield Guardian to store one spell of 4th level or lower. To do so, the wearer must cast the spell on the Shield Guardian. The spell has no effect but is stored within the Shield Guardian. When commanded to do so by the wearer or when a situation arises that was predefined by the spellcaster, the Shield Guardian casts the stored spell with any parameters set by the original caster, requiring no components. When the spell is cast or a new spell is stored, any previously stored spell is lost.

TELEPATHY

The Guardian's Master shares telepathy with the Shield Guardian, provided the Shield Guardian and its Guardian Amulet are in the same plane of existence.